288 comments:

Fine, having a kid in an Academy is akin to slave labor and child abuse.

The ECNL is planning on starting a boys side similar to their "top level" girls league. You'll probably get to play in high school as well. It will be "pay for play" so if you have the $$$, there will be other options.

As a parent who has been with NJSA04- thru NJCSA- Now transitioning to Cedar Stars - Monmouth- it has been challenging. Playing on bad fields, lack of communication, and other issues led to many very talented players leaving the system. With the news released yesterday- New World Class Facilities- 6 fields, futsal courts, Ferdinando De Matthaeis now at the top of the coaching pyramid, new youth academy director announced. This will be the beginning of a massive operation and Altirs deserves a ton of credit. He is fortunate to have a ton of money, and he is investing it in youth soccer. His track record of helping indigent families is much revered.The bottom line is C NJ now will have the best facilities, the best coaches, and will be able to recruit the most elite players in C NJ. Why drive all the way to Zarepeth? Very exciting days- the town programs that are still busy playing daddy ball, chasing points for rankings, underdeveloping their talent now need to wake up and realize they are not academies - align yourself for the future- development and fun should be the start. Thank you Altirs and Tab for finally bringing C NJ out of the dark ages

Cedar Stars- Monmouth had over 300 kids at tryouts on Thursday night- if you build it they will come. Word is U16 and U18 academy teams will be on scholarship to rival MLS academies and eventually U14's too.Very exciting days ahead for Monmouth County and true develpmental model for youth soccer.

I agree the NJCSA could possibly be a good team but the style they play no one really knows. They park the bus with the entire team behind the ball and play for transition goals. Evident with the US Soccer leading 10 ties. These players aren't being taught the proper way of playing by the NJCSA coaching staff. They have an assistant coach with his only job of yelling when to step for an offside's trap. Yes, at this age and at the academy level they have an assistant coach yelling 'step'. Mathematically they have no chance of making the playoffs. A shame that the only Monmouth County academy shows such a poor style of soccer to play. You think they have some talent to let the team challenge competition. The whole club is very confusing.

"but the style they play no one really knows. They park the bus with the entire team behind the ball and play for transition goals."

Sounds like every team that plays against Barcelona. Maybe not pleasing to the eye, but a counter-attacking style has been around longer than all of us. It is not giving up, it is playing to your strengths (or away from your weaknesses).

I agree the comparison to Barcelona is ridiculous. The consistent style of play of parking the bus shows that they do practice it (not to mention the country leading 10 draws.) What about the coach screaming 'step' like its a u11 MOSA team. Obviously NO development happening here. Parents have to stop selling themselves on this program and just leave.

No one said parking the bus isn't a style of play. What was said was parking the bus is a poor style of play. To say they aren't a bad team is impossible to determine when it becomes a track meet and not soccer.

To be clear, NJCSA is not a good team. You can make an argument to the contrary but you can't prove your side of the argument when they constantly play that style of soccer.

it's funny who gets to define what is "proper" soccer. Do you have to be completely possesion driven- tiki taka? That has not been US soccer, ever. NJCSA has been a microcom of US soccer for years. Have had great players start out at the club - ie - Juan Agudelo, Sean Davis, Dan Metzger- but they moved on to Red Bull like any other kid would when MLS asks you. Never had the facilities or the best 11 on the field.

Let's revisit this in 2-3 years when the kids who are 2003's and 2002's ( which my son is one of) have some time- CSA will get the horses to come- quite evident by this years tryouts. We will see what type of soccer is being developed. I believe it will be very good, very fast, athletic, improved technical but never Pep soccer.

Can you name 3 PDA kids like above who are on pro rosters? This Academy in Monmouth County will be real strong in the years to come- the towns that surround the new complex are flush with talent that are not being developed- looking forward to seeing it all unfold with my son in the mix.

I agree with the last comment, but I need to add that they are at a vital time in their turn-around of the train wreck that was NJSA04. They need to bring in the quality coaches, now, for all the teams in the program. Coaching at the youth/club level is vital to produce the pipeline needed for a successful Academy program. People caught on real fast that the way to the NJSA04 Academy was NOT through the younger NJSA04 teams. They had few quality coaches that could teach a possession oriented approach to the game. Then the good kids stopped trying out and you see what happened.

We will see what the new crop of coaches can do with the large turnout they had at try outs. If they can develop this new talent then I think they are on their way. If not, then they blew this opportunity and will be right back in the trash heap as before.

You can't compare NJS04/CSA Monmouth to PDA at this point. You can not even compare it to Match Fit who left academy a year ago, if they were still around you would still be behind them in coaches, recruiting, talent and etc... NJCSA/CSA still has a few years to go before they can try to compare themselves with these teams. Until they hire a new staff and stop playing players based on politics, they are still going to continue to lose players and games. And if you think CSA Bergen which will run CSA Monmouth starting this fall is any better, they are not. They run things in CSA Bergen the same way CSA Monmouth/NJS04 does. The only things they have going for them is the CSA name and George's money. Go check how many players from CSA Bergen U14/U13 left to go somewhere before the season started.

You can bring in Money and new bosses, but if the mentality is the same, things will not change!!!

"Coaches" at NJCSA. With the exception of TR they have 0 accomplishments. Just look at their CV's. They are cast aways from local programs, fathers and or someone with an accent masquerading as something "more". They are not. The club got rid of Meza and his anti-American pro-latin bias as well as his lackey sycophants, only to replace the lot with more posers and frauds. That club has a long long way to go.

Change starts at the top and getting a new DOC is a step in the right direction. The DOC is training all the coaches in the club so he needs to be unbiased, fair, an expert in his field, and honest with players and parents. Cedar Stars is making the effort to offer a quality academy but it won't happen overnight.

I heard of STA, I know someone from Freehold whose son plays on a satellite U16 Team out of Jackson and all the coach focuses on is a select 11 players and the other boys are allocated 5 minutes a half out of a 90 minute game. He says some guy named Rich Bart (PARENT) the team manager makes the decisions on who plays and who doesn't play.

I like the philosophy that Philly Union has with playing time. They break up the team and if you do not have sufficient time at a game then you will be rostered for a scrimmage. They have a policy that grants respect to all players and therefore you develop the unity of team. It is a team sport not a one man showcase They are not about wins but developmemt. I am not putting down any other academy but I think that they should consider mirroring this approach. If you play the same kids giving them full game time they develop superiority over others more so then a coach could imagine. They shine with such confidence and then criticize those with less playing time when mistakes are made during a game. This Causes Even More Of A Team breakdown. They also take a blow to self esteem during a stage of crucial development of both physical and mental being. Coaches in academy should educate themselves on the mental game.

My child has offers from A teams at Cedar Stars Monmouth, PDA, and NJX. Only at pre academy age but a pretty good player so far. Can anyone give some info on the differences between the programs. Any advice on where we should go? Thanks.

Champagne problemCedar Stars Monmouth is new and promising great things.PDA has a track record of producing good teams.NJX not true academy but that doesn't mean they aren't about development. Let your son choose where he feels most comfortable.

For those who have Boys in the USSDA Academy teams here, in your experience, what is the turnaround on returning players each season? are the teams re evaluated in the winter? is the program really about Developing Players...

"For those who have Boys in the USSDA Academy teams here, in your experience, what is the turnaround on returning players each season? are the teams re evaluated in the winter? is the program really about Developing Players...

To the dad considering PDA over Cedar Stars Monmouth: Fast forward 2 years when CS Monmouth fully blossoms, and you watch the two teams play an even match, and consider the sacrifice your ENTIRE family will have endured traveling thousands of hours in the name of PDA. It will benefit PDA to have your talented child but will it benefit your children who have spent such valuable years breathing toxic fumes on the GSP while their friends stayed home having fun and training twice as much? Get a grip my brother...

All academies are the same including the MLS Academies. They'll use your kid until they need him, if they find somebody better he is out the door. Also all academies use the (who do you know or who is your father). Meaning if your father knows the coach/DOC/owner you are in. If your father is the coach/DOC/Owner you are golden!!! So your kid may be left out in the cold for a kid who is not better than yours, but because daddy knows the coach, he is in.

Now that I have said that, I still think PDA is better than Cedar Stars. PDA is much more organized than Cedar Stars. PDA is still getting the better selection of players and better coaches... Cedar Stars may have the money, but from an overall organization prospective they are still way behind.

Union, Red Bulls and NYCFC are all fielding teams at an earlier age. Sure they miss on kids but the fact that they practice with a more skilled group, on a whole, their players improve greater in MLS academies. So unfortunately what is leftover is leftover. A player or two will develop in these club academies (for lack of a better term) but at the end of the day the best development happens at the MLS academies. With that being said, picking between PDA or CSA doesn't really matter. Pick a team that is easy to get to, your child likes the coach and players are nice/respectful. Let's not lose track that this is just a game.

PDA is a proven commodity but the commute is not the best. CSA is new so you take a chance there, but they have money behind them. PDA plays and wins at top level, not sure about CSA. NJX is not a true academy program.

Been fostering an '04 for several years now. He's made the ODP cuts thus far, and while not having played for an "official" Academy, has played on teams that have bested the Academy elite on more than one occasion. He will wind up there eventually, as it is arguably one of the better paths for any player who's actually got a "shot". If I had to do it again, I'd probably not change a thing from the current course....pay attention...if, HUGE IF.....your child is sold out for the game of soccer, then get them the BEST technical training you can find and keep them there. It's an additional investment no doubt, but the dividends are immeasurable. Your player will end up where they are supposed to, but with developed foundational technical skills, the world is his oyster. Best of luck.

The bottom line is that regardless of the MLS academies, many other academies pump out very good talent. PA Classics- Christian Pulisic, 2 other of their boys are playing at Stanford right now. Bethesda produced Gideon- at Arsenal/Rangers right now. Miazga was Red Bulls he is at Chelsea so it works either way. You can go down the list - if the kid has it, all of these academy teams are doing good things. It is not perfect by any means but the potential pathway is improved. For the guy who said his team can beat some of these academy elites- that is vey true at younger ages where teams emphasize winning over playing the right way- play out of the back, possession, no dump and chase, no goalie punts, just different.

There is never going to be a perfect path. If the kids have the desire and talent they will make it at any of the academies

To clarify...my reference to having "bested" Academy teams did not at all refer to the final scores whatsoever. In some cases yes, but in others, I've witnessed both high level club AND Academy teams (not bashing, just my observation) revert mid-match to run and gun, "get the ball to the Italians", direct soccer play out of sheer frustration of only possessing 10-20% of the game. At the end of the day, if the coach sticks to his guns throughout the match with true possession style of play, the kids are better off regardless of the final score.Please don't hear what I'm not saying. As you have stated ...at the younger levels there is a ton of direct soccer being coached DURING the game on BOTH sides of the Academy fence. I've seen it over and over again, true out of the back, possession soccer being completely forsaken mid-match as a result of being outmatched, ultimately out of ego and fear of a loss. From where...the sideline.So please don't take my bested comment as a final score scenario, but rather which team played better soccer from whistle to whistle.Ultimately, if you have a coach that has a true desire to develop his players, whether in a club or Academy scenario, the important thing is that the players are developing regardless of the final score. Unfortunately it is a hit or miss and yes, the academies are typically set up with higher level talent in terms of coaching, but there is no guarantee until you witness a proven track record of development.

In terms of "making it", I think that depends on what your child's goals are, and how they correlate with yours. As long as my son has a desire and belief that he will one day play professionally, it is my job to ensure he is in the best possible position to develop as a player and more importantly to be a respectful and good person.

I grew up watching Tom Kain and George Gelnovatch play in Wall. The time when these programs were good have come and gone. The academy system is really only 8-10 years old. There will come a day real soon when these clubs will want to get recognition for sending there best players for development to the academies. The clubs will always exist to cooperate with kids wanting to play for there high schools. With non MLS academies beginning to provide scholarships the playing field will become even more competitive. My point is from where we were in the late 70's early 80's to today it is light years. And while I am nostalgic I am also very excited to watch my 14 year old do things with his teammates that is really awesome soccer. The future is very bright in NJ academy soccer, for those willing to step up.

Agreed, he is still but a babe. The youngest of four of which my eldest, now 23, finished a full ride D1 for Track not too long ago, so...not my first time at the rodeo 😉I have learned through past parenting mistakes, to stay out of his way and allow his trainers to do their job. If everything aligns, God willing... he stays healthy, and continues to love the game, I will continue to encourage his dreams.

My experience has shown in the past, the athletes that "burnout" are typically so as a result of "less than great" parent involvement ( that is the most gracious way I can put it ). Sad to say, but true.

I have seen a few of the "big name" local kids at the CS Monmouth tryouts. I think a lot of them were there, but did not commit. Sort of a wait and see attitude. Hopefully those players will commit in the future and help turn the program around. But CSA has to produce on the coaching front.

Because csa is building a huge facility and they have money to build a huge and beautiful place dont mean they are the next big thing in NJ,theres a lot more behind that,they have to stop favoritism,stop the huge rosters,definitely get theyre coaching staff together and fix a lot of problems,money and the best facility in the world will not build the best soccer players,good coaches ,good parenting,and building a good bunch of kids together will build a good academy,think about that

No one is arguing with you. The club was a mess and a facility will not change that. I do not see the daddy coach accusation, however, the new coaches seem to have a reasonable pedigree. Whether or not they produce is another thing altogether. To much daddy influence I will agree with.

Academy coaches need to set boundaries between them and parents because before they know it, parents are having a big influence on the team. It happened to a team my son was on and it caused a lot of hurt feelings. The environment was chaos. The coach lost control and was just listening to some parents. It was the most unprofessional thing I have ever seen.

For the older age groups in academy, playing time is key specially for the Juniors which are U16. Daddies are looking for a team where their son will get the most playing time, so they can be visible by college coaches. It is no longer about which academy is better (specially after PDA U16 had a horrible season), it is about visibility.

On that note, their will be a lot of moves this off season. Union already made their cuts, CSA has already sent invitations out to the players their keeping, PDA is currently having their tryouts, and lets not forget the RED Bulls who will be cutting a few of their U16 and U14 players. It will be an interesting 2016-2017 season.

Development is a pyramid. The MLS academies are on the top with fewer players and limited political pull by outside forces. They have the resources. Question, how many players from the original Red Bulls team at are still on their respective U16 or U18 team? I'm sure not many. Those that are there are at the top of the pyramid. Players that aren't good enough are weeded out to make room for better players. Other academies like PDA and NJCSA are in effect feeder programs for the MLS programs. So at the younger age it doesn't matter where you are because eventually the best players will be identified and moved to the proper tier. NYCFC has it's own league to watch players in their respective clubs.

I've read comments about players coming from outside MLS teams which is true. Remember this MLS model is only 6-8 years old and those situations are not as common going forward. If your child is young, keep them in an environment where they are happy. Development will happen organically.

For those considering NJCSA RUN!!! Until GA realizes that his Academy and Pre Academy coach is the pits then this organization will always have extremely unhappy players and parents. He does absolutely nothing at practices when any type of authority is not around. He is rude to parents. You often see him on his phone even at training. Everyone KNOWS THIS IS VERY UNPROFESSIONAL. In the year that my son has been on the Academy team he has NEVER once had a conversation with him about what he could improve. Could you Imagine never speaking with your coach? He does not speak to any player. It is all general comments that a Team Mom could make at practice "Move the ball faster" " Create Space". Johnny from down the street with no experience could do better. He also avoids parents at all costs. Takes the other way out to avoid parents after the game unless one of his bosses are around. He hates to communicate with parents and if you dare ask him a question you will be blacklisted! Your son with see a reduction in playing time and the possible threat of being dropped. He does however honor the parents who drop him an envelope of cash at XMAS and year end. He also caters to those who live in the Rumson Fair Haven zip code. All you have to doo is examine all his academy and pre academy rosters and you will see that these boys always get the most playing time. Coincidence, no I think not. George this is poor set up. If you are turning the club around turn it around to be something spectacular. Not a club where if people speak up with a concern they are threated by the wrath of the coach. One parent mentioned he wished you sent out a survey to get a good view on what they really think of the academy coach and his standard. You could hold the highest coaching level but that does not make you a great coach. Has anyone out there ever heard from this coach to discuss improvement for your child. Better yet, did your son ever once speak to this coach. The ones that have are the ones that he has invested in to make himself look successful. The zip code always displays how much playing time and your development. If you live there expect 90 to 100 percent playing time. Even if you are just average player. My son would get twenty minutes. In one season my son will average 100 minutes in five games. The favored player with the big cash envelope will average 450 minutes every five games. Gee Coach thank you so much for developing my son. Or is my son along for the ride to develop someone elses son. Another team member asked how he could improve and the coach laughed and said you are lazy. Confidence of that player dropped. Mom said she was disgusted that he never told how her son could improve. Quite honestly the confidence of 70 percent of players is at risk at NJCSA. Wake up GA. Do great things at the start.

Has anyone heard that CSA is looking to add to their girls teams by purchasing teams in NYC? I'm not sure if it is a rumor. I've heard it from a few parents but not sure if it is just talk. I figured this chat would be a good source since a few users seem looped into the inner workings of Academy soccer.

It is not only the fancy new facility that CSA is building. They are also adding some new and very good/qualified coaches. They appear to be serious about being a long term factor in NJ youth academy soccer.

PDA won a national tittle 2 years ago. How are they a feeder program. NJCSA maybe has like 3 players that can be on the RB. Also I have heard of a few players leaving RB and Philly to go elsewhere.

Also, just look at this years college recruiting class PDA had 17; which was the most off all academies in the US including all MLS teams. That does not seem like a feeder program.

But the age of 15 most players that making RB and Philly are good players that have been on the system for a few years, or standout players that are coming from club/High School or players that Mom and Dad no someone at the staff of RB and Philly.

If your in Southern Cal. If all about the money and if you come from Europe. The youth club in Carlsbad Cal part of the Galaxy(LA). There leaders have banded girls that tryout for other club and if you do not fit there look, you will never be part of the club. It cast $2500.00 a season just to be on the team. that's not including other cost. When did we as a country let people in that hate our country, but like to make a buck of us. I should know I served all over the world, almost all do not want us there. Yes they are good coaches but that does not change the fact they are poor humans.

6/08 that is the truth there. Parents don't be fool. The coaches at NJCSA are there for a paycheck and to fleece the rich Americans. Don't be fooled by their accents and "Licenses". You and your child are a "mark" and there to be fleeced.

Check out this great video from FC Dallas on how they run their Academy:http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/the91stminute/2016/06/how-fc-dallas-built-an-academy-empire/This should be a template on how all Academies are setup. Their results speak for themselves.

6/8 poster and 6/14 poster I agree as well. This coach has been sliding along without consequences. AM got the blame and was fired for it all when in fact this coach plays a huge counterpart role as he is involved with the pre academy and academy teams. His silence and avoidance has granted him an extension from conflict but in fact it is he who has damaged this clubs reputation. Lets look at U-16 academy. Poster 6/8 you are correct to point out all his flaws and favoritism and his lack of development or even communication with the players. He spoke with my son three times all season. Consider us lucky. No communication and when I asked him a simple question about the new fields he was blunt and arrogant. I was very annoyed as I had never bothered him before. My son was accepted to Philly Union and we regret not going there. We never shared that info to the coach because we were confident he would have been valued and more importantly he would be developed. No development there. Go elsewhere if you still have the chance. Until NJCSA hires coaches that enjoy being there, have passion for achieving the best and bringing out the best in each one of these boys then it is a waste of time. The website has a picture of this coach front and center. Yet ask parents, they all think he is the pits.

I will jump on the band wagon with great fear the coach will know who I am and he will be penalized. My son did not make the pre academy team. We were hopefully that he would develop this past year and possible earn a spot on the U-16 Academy for 2016-2017. We stayed in contact with the parents we knew and befriended the CSA parents to keep on top of developments for this team, possible injuries for opportunities to be called up. We attended indoor training at Wall as well. We hoped for the best and hoped our son would have been asked up to the Pre Academy. This did not happen and we understand my son has a lot more improving to do to get there. On the other hand we were disgusted by the normal events that this coach allows. Here is my son struggling to be brought up to Pre Academy and he has a player blatantly tell him straight to his face that he was going to play High School instead on Pre Academy. Any other club would have dropped this boy since he was clearly making a choice of high school over Pre academy. So they suspended him from playing as a DP player on Academy. Big Deal. He returned to get 100 percent playing time. Will most likely play the showcase this month. Yes 100 percent. So I told my son keep track of when he goes to training whenever muy sons team is there training. The boy missed often. He reached out to a teammate who said he always misses. So we asked another team mate who confirmed he comes when he wants and get to take the field as the most supreme player in the universe. He said the other teammates are far from jealous just very sickened that they could attend all the practices in a week and sit the bench. This is not about that player. This is about how a coach has choose to develop his team. Very poor. This academy coach needs to be reviewed. We did not make the team but if we did would our child get more then ten minutes. Academy families speak up. This is rampant in pre and academy.

Cedar Stars just bought 3 New York branches to go with their new Monmouth Academy. Maybe CSA needs to continue to add more and better coaches but there is no denying their financial power and commitment to youth soccer in NY and NJ. Count me impressed. I can't see how anyone other than MLS teams will be able to compete with them in a couple years.

One day NJCSA will be a organization to be reckoned with but today and for the next couple of years its the same old NJSA. The player pool is subpar in comparison to other academies. This is because of parent favoritism for one. Second is the coaching stinks! No development happens here. Parking the bus game should not be a consistent game plan. It is practiced so any parent that rebuffs that is not being honest. Wait till you see the parents coming to NJCSA next season. Nothing is going to change.

Putting lipstick on a pig does not make a beauty queen. NJCSA is rotted from the inside. Development, there is none. Coaches there are horrible. The club preaches winning isn't important at early age -- because they loose all games very badly -- but they take 11 year olds into their system, belittle them and destroy confidence, by playing some kids for 8 minutes a game. If winning isn't important and the club is about development, why then would they do this to an eleven year old if they have taken him into their system. The answer is simple is that? Because the bottom feeder coaches they have are that, bottom feeders. Coaches there are and have always been desperate to hang on to their coaching stipends so preventing an ass whooping is all they care about. Development, forget it. Don't fool yourself, none of the players are getting developed no matter how much or how little they play in games. You are a meal ticket they are Ponzi scheme. Like all Ponzi schemes and socialism, however, you run out of victims and other peoples money at some time. Until that times comes, the club will flounder along taking advantage of parents (egos and dreams) and destroying the confidence and skills of the players.

Conversely, even at 15, 16 PDA coaches play all players in their system evenly for the most part. If they accept you in PDA, you will be developed to the best of your ability with excellent training from top coaches and relatively equal playing time in games. They reason being: They make every effort to develop players that have entered system. NJCSA on the other, they just want you 3K payment and the hell with development. more.

Does anyone have any insight on the CSA master plan in terms of the multiple locations, teams, etc.? I cannot imaging they will have multiple USSDA slots, so they eventually will probably have one main location for the Academy teams. Where will this be considering they have Monmouth, Bergen, Essex presence and now New York?

My kid has been at NJSA 04- NJCSA- now will be Cedar Stars- Monmouth for 4 years. I agree that things are not perfect but far from the last few postings. Now that Altirs is firmly in control - things will get strong quickly. He has a track record of demanding excellence. Look at his 2001/2002 team from 4 years ago- they had a ton of talent ( which he provided unlimited resources for) - they developed and they were dominant in competition. George has bought into development but he also demands results.

As I write this they are working hard on Wayside Road to prepare the land for 6 new fields. They are interviewing and hiring new coaches. So all I can say is there was up until spring 2016 . Now there is a new start. PDA has been strong for years, I give them credit- but their coaches are certainly not better- Ruano, Beck, Nellins- they look better because of a huge player pool at each age group- they have had more talent -depth for years- that is about to change quite a bit. Heard their best 14 year old has left them too.

Competition is the best for soccer- PDA will continue to be strong- I suspect that CSA will only get stronger too.

"If they accept you in PDA, you will be developed to the best of your ability with excellent training from top coaches and relatively equal playing time in games. They reason being: They make every effort to develop players that have entered system"

Not true at all.

Regardless, fair playing time does not equal equal playing time especially as they get older.

10:42 "Don't stop believ'in....hold onto that feeling". You are being duped by their endless hype: tomorrow, building, time, vision, etc, etc. All the while they pick your pocket and treat your child as fodder.

Closely tied to NJCSA so I am as frustrated as the rest, but with the new management now fully taking the reigns at CSA Monmouth, how can you possibly insist the future will be the same as the past?

In the past, NJCSA would have squandered this opportunity, that we can all agree with. But that NJCSA would never have pulled off the coaching changes, DOC change and massive facility upgrade. So to compare the old vs. new is a fool's errand. Only time will tell. More accurate to compare against CSA's past not NJCSA's past, as the CSA mgmt. is now in control.

I agree a massive culture change is needed. I think the greatest impact here is that the mediocre kids that are on some of the teams now will be gone, and the supposed superstars on a poor team will have their status greatly reduced. This may be difficult for the precious parents as well.

Kids go back and forth between CSA, PDA, RB, PU etc. Each club has room for improvements. PDA kids are trying out for CSA for next season.Yes, CSA is growing and they still have a lot of work to do. The u16 and u18 academy teams are now free of charge, so that's a big plus.

For all of you that think that NJCSA/CSA will change overnight keep dreaming. CSA is run the same way as NJCSA. There is a lot of favoritism at CSA, if you are in the owner's inner circle you good, if not good luck. If you play in the 2000 or 2001 age bracket where the owner's sons are on the team, you must remember they come first. Son's over winning, that is the model. His kids must play at all cost. Besides them, there is an abundance of other players in the organization that gets special treatment. Don't forget, that the owner is also in the coaching staff!!! LOL. So when the owner is on the sidelines, who is really coaching the game!!!

CSA is very disorganized, there is no communication between the coaches/organization and the parents, every trip the parents have to book on the own, so the players never stay in the same hotel as the coaches.

Also, if you look at their 2000 team from last year,40% of their starting line up left the team and almost the same amount left the 2001 team. You tell me that is good organization. If it was good, do you think 40% of the starting line up would leave!!!

In 5 years, maybe this will be the place to be, because all the money they have, facilities their building and players that are favorites now will be gone.

I could actually say that I believe that the favoritism towards the Owners or DOC son is not in excess. If anything the owners son often sits the sidelines and watches the team superstar bean with confidence. The DOC has been fired so the coach no longer has to appease his wishes with his son. The owners son however is not given a fair shot because the coach is useless on the 2000 level. He has no idea what works best for the team. The owners son is a fantastic striker. He always preys on his opponent. I do not favor him for midfield. I actually believe that the coach has misplaced a lot of the very talented players and we end up watching the one kid that is the superstar play all over the place when in reality he holds onto the ball forever and does not quickly pass. There is no "I" in team. I did hear that the coach was not happy about having the owners son on his team. Apparently he has voiced this. I know that we travel far to go to practice and we expected our son to be valued. Didn't happen. I go with the above poster. The coach never spoke with my son or myself much about anything. I will also add that the last game of the season not one and I mean not one parent stopped to talk to the coach. This was the last game and no one was talking to the coach. Think about that.

U-16 Academy this year had it's favorites. We were all there for the ride. Go to PDA. Your child will be developed. He may have to prove at PDA practice that your child is worthy to take the field for additional playing time but they will base it on practice and not on who they are projecting to the world to be their home grown product. NJCSA projects certain kids to be their home grown product. These kids never come off the field even when fresh legs is needed on the field. It's painful to watch.

sorry to say, but the only constants with csa since the beginning are turnover, favoritism and false optimism. docs, coaches, fields, players all turnover almost every year. players are selected and played as chosen by the owner. and just like baseball in the spring, we all expect this to the be the year it gets better. these are not sour comments, these are facts. i welcome anyone to dispute.

Enjoy the beautiful game- if your son is truly talented he will make it- the old saying is true- cream does rise to the top. Keep the parents off the field and let the boys do their thing. CSA, PDA, RB, PU- are all solid and will only get better if the parents keep their ill advised beaks out of it.

That's a very optimistic outlook and that should be how the system works but it is not always a fair system. There is parent involvement, coaches have favorites and give their players unequal playing time. I have seen talented players passed over and they eventually lose their enthusiasm because the coach won't play them. Sad

Maybe your kid is really not on that level- and you can't accept that. There are other options. Jamie Vardy was cut as a 16 year old from his Academy and he just scored a goal at the euros 12 years later-

I know for a fact that my child was good enough but was not developed due to favoritism. I'm not sure who the coach was listening to but I am convinced that politics plays a role in who is played and developed. This happens to other players as well. Certain ethnic stereotypes are favored by different coaches.

So how do you explain the turn over on their last years CSA 2000 squad. They lost their very talented starting Goalie, their only regional pool player, and both wing backs plus one of their starting midfielders.That is not including some other players that came off the bench. That is not including players that also left their 2001 team.

These are all very good players, the cream as you say, so how do you explain them leaving club all the same time. Do you think if these players were being taking cared off and there was no favoritism and better coaching in both CSA and NJSA they all would of left.

Now, this is only CSA/NJCSA, I also heard of players that left PDA and RB for these same reasons.

NJCSA has players that will fill the gaps of the players that are leaving. It happens every year in many different clubs. NJCSA has had a rough past but nothing that is successful doesn't have challenges in the beginning. NJSA doesn't count. You have to look at when it starts as NJCSA. Give them a 5 year clock when the merger started 18 months ago.

As for RB comment, I've never heard of a player leaving RB unless he's cut or they aren't getting playing time. No playing time means the player isn't as good as others on the field. From everything I've heard, no politics at RB.

I don't think there is any excuse for a coach not playing all his players. Didn't he choose them in the first place? A player can't be developed at the same rate as another player if he never plays in games and the other receives 100% playing time, despite what some "expert" coach told me.. What do you think sitting on the bench every game does to a player mentally? Philadelphia Union is much more fair in giving all their players plenty of playing time. IMO, they are interested in player development over winning.

Development happens at practice much more then it happens in games. Every coach runs scrimmages at the end of practices. If the player doesn't show he deserves to be on the field at game time during practice then no he shouldn't play. Maybe the level of play is too advanced. That is ok, that's why there are so many options. Maybe most of the wining that occurs on this site is because your kid is at the wrong level and you haven't come to grips with it yet.

Im not talking about my kid,I'm talking about a lot of kids. Why so smug? You must think your kid is the greatest. If a kid makes the team, he's at that level or maybe hes just there to pay for some other kid. Either way, hes not being treated right and leaves and the academy failed to develop him.

Not being smug, I'm just pointing out that earning time is something that seems to be over looked. But we live in a world where everyone gets a trophy for participating. Parents never want to blame the kid not doing his homework for the poor grades. We turned into a culture of blaming someone else rather then teaching that hard work might not pay off in the beginning but if you are persistent about your hard work it will.

No one wants to look in the mirror but its not always the club or the coach. That's all I'm saying.

So lets just talk about CSA. They have been around for about 4/5 years. Their 2000 team was number 1 team in the country before they joined academy. They picked up a few players and the team was in the middle of the pack in the academy league at U14.

So they lost most of the starting line which included a few of their top players,then they take the rest of the players that are left and move them to NJCSA U15 and U16 add new players and the team still sucks.

So based on CSA's track record they should have rebuilt and they didn't. The players that they picked up, with the exception of a few were just players to fill roster spot.

That was 3 years ago before the academy age moved to a younger age. #1 team because they did every tournament but never won in Dallas or the othe high profile tourneys. The 2 grandmas ruined that team and the politics. Only the center mid who currently plays on the u16 NJCSA team and the keeper were of quality when soccer started to mean something.

the prized team was never the 2000's at Cedar Stars. The prized team was the 01/02 team. The Gray Brothers ( Youth National Pool for 2002's). They were the team that won most local/regional stuff. The 00/01 team had some good players too- J. Ned ( Red Bulls 2001's) etc. But George knows his 2000 son is limited at best - his 2002 son has much more potential- solid player.

All the negativos on here have good reason to do so. Let's see what happens. Go USA-Beat Argentina

Those CSA teams beat up on town teams in tournaments to get their points. All those names have struggled. Point is what is good when they are little pups doesn't mean anything when soccer means something. Question now is: Who makes the U16 teams? How do those u16 teams do? Are they playing real competition?

The point should be that, if they don't change their way of doing business, things will still be the same 1, 2, 3 ,4 years from now.They need to stop putting emphasis on the owners kids, and a couple of other players and start focusing on the team and club as whole. 1 or 2 players don't make a team.Also, people need reasons to want to take their kid there, and right now the only one is that the play academy. They have nothing else to offer, coaches are horrible, the teams suck and the list goes on.Parents that have been around want to take their kids to PDA, RB, Philly and some of the other academies, but they want to take their kids to CSA\NJCSA unless they have no other choice.

My kid made the U14 Academy -team and the roster came out yesterday. Very solid team, no owners kids on the roster. I will let you know in June of next year if you are right or wrong- I am happy with the coaches at CSA-M

15 million investment by Altirs into the Tinton Falls- Capelli Sports Complex. I don't care what all the nay sayers are spewing- that is serious stuff- was in that area today- land is pretty much cleared and moving fast with great weather. Going to be real fun for my kids.

I can't believe all the comments about poor coaching I have seen. Soccer is as basic as kicking a ball. Poor people all over the world play this game and become very good. Your child needs to practice more ...period. If you expect some coach with an accent to make your child a super-star you will be disappointed. There are enough resources like youtube to learn soccer moves and techniques. If your child is good, he/she will end up in the right place. Stop blaming coaches and academies. If you don't like a coach/academy you have the option to leave...that simple. If your child is good someone will notice. Sure, there are some kids who get playing time based on politics etc… However, kids with Messi skills will always get playing time. So, if your kid is not getting playing time, they should practice more… period. There is a difference between team practice and individual practice. Individual practice will give your child the opportunity to practice and play with the right team.

I wonder if Messi would be the greatest player in the world today without the best coaches. Oh right, there was no youtube when he was little. Seriously, a player needs good coaching to develop his talent. I do agree that a lot of these hyped "professional" coaches with all this experience working with kids end up to be disappointing.

The highest quality coaching is something that the USSDA is promising to provide. Once a player is accepted onto an academy team, parents and players should expect the best coaching to ensure the best player development . There is a limit to what playing on your own and self improvement will do. Also,there is a blurry line between what is an academy team and what is a club team. I don't consider every team at PDA or NJCSA to be academy.

When academies live up to their promises, people won't complain. Until then, other countries will continue to develop youth players who will become world class players while the US struggles to put a mediocre national team together.

11:04 is spot on. And I don't think it is someone from RB/PDA but rather from some clubs up north on the GSP. We got away from that situation, sad to see it start at the young ages. I would hope NJCSA doesn't allow that coach to profit further from his own players -- private training and expensive international trips, all ensuring a special relationship exists for some kids whose parents line the coach's pocket. No place for that in an academy. Eyes open people.

This kind on thing happens every where in the world not just at NJCSA. At PDA at Red Bulls, etc.. the same thing happens, you just don't here about it as much.

In other countries 16 year old players already have agents, and the agents are the ones with the special relationship with the coach. You don't have an agent or know someone high in the club, you better be the next Messi. No agent no play!!!

The old everybody is doing it so I can too excuse. We're talking about the USSDA. No agents here, just some over zealous parents attempting to influence their child's coaches. That shouldn't be allowed. It's not what the youth soccer or the DA is about.

I will bet my house that happens with the coach because it constantly happens at club level....whomever goes to the coaches camps or private lessons will likely find a spot or play no matter what the level of that player is at

Are you trying to say that CSA Monmouth is going to be the next best thing and is that why we should check it out. Come on, you got to crawl before you can walk. What happened to your U16, the were supposed to be good and did not even make the playoff.

I will take committments over playoffs any day. I am not here for team- I am here for my kid. The playoffs are a nice perk, but reaching his potential is all that matters to me. I don't care that you think CSA is crap and the other academies are a better place to be- I drive 15 miles roundtrip and will get the same college and beyond opportunities for my boy, see you at the new fields.

I never said place to be- lots of haters out there. I know PDA is the bomb for folks like you. Thats cool. I am simply optimistic that my kid who is only on the U14 team will receive the same opportunity as anyone else in the DA system in NJ/tri state area. A lot of good committments the last 2 years- Syracuse,Providence,Princeton,Duke-Patriot League, etc- so I am good with cherry flavor with a lot of ice- best of luck to you and your kids-if you live in Monmouth County enjoy the ride up 287

I am not a PDA parent, but I do have to say, that even with all the bureaucratic bullshit that goes on at PDA; which they do have just like NJCSA. They still manage to have 17 players commit to college (most of all academies this year), have a few players on the national team pool, and place 3rd in the U18 division nationally. I say that is damn good. If your kid is good, I'd say take that drive up 287. The grass is much greener over there.

Can't argue with your stats. PDA has been around since 1998. Have had 8 fields for a while. Have 3 times the kids in their program up until this year. They are a great program. Nationally recognized , kids going to great schools, Sheffield Wednesday, YNT- they will continue to thrive. Not trying to persuade or convince. CSA will be good too, yes I am sold on them. This is really only since 2011 that you can compare since George started his thing. You really can't count NJSA04 from 2004. Your assessment is spot on, however I believe CSA will be there very quickly and my son will completely benefit from George's huge investment. Good luck and no tolls for me

I do agree with you that CSA will be good too sometime in the future (because they have the money and will have the facilities soon and people gravitate towards that), but there is still a lot that has to change at CSA. Even when they were just CSA alone, they were still behind the eight ball. Lot's of politics, Owner's kids play all the time, no structure, specially when it comes to team travelling and etc... Winning is not everything sometimes it only hides the issues, and that is why people thought it was smooth sailing with them.

Look at the last 2 teams that came out of Bergen. Their 2000 had 3 players leave to go play overseas and 2 left to go to Westchester. 4 out of the 5 players where starters and 2 of them were very good players. Besides all the others that just left and did not go anywhere in particular. In the 2001s they lost 2 players go to the Red Bulls and others who just left. One of the players that went to RB was exceptional.

As a club owner or Club director, you need cater to the players you have in-house specially the good ones. You give them hope and you take care of them and after that you just bring in the missing peaces to help make the club\team better. It is simple. That is what every good academy does.

Just look at the record of their CSA/NJCSA 2000 team this year, horrible. Last year, their 2001 team was competing with the Red Bulls for first place, where are they this year. For an organization that is trying to move forward, they seem to be taking 2 steps back.

"As a club owner or Club director, you need cater to the players you have in-house specially the good ones. You give them hope and you take care of them and after that you just bring in the missing peaces to help make the club\team better. It is simple. That is what every good academy does."

What is the limit to that "catering"? Seems like there is a fine line between supporting the good players and the playing favorites complaints we see so often on this board.

What is the advantage of this catering? The best players will skip to RBA anyway and you just alienate the other players by giving a chosen few preferential treatment and increased opportunity. That is a recipe for disharmony. Just asking, I don't have all the answers.

I believe the overall health of high level soccer for boys is very good. Whether you fancy one academy over another for the multitude of reasons is your choice. Looking forward to the new season beginning very soon. Good Luck to CSA, PDA , Red Bulls and TSF fielding a U12 Academy program

So what if TSF has U12 academy team, World Class has a U14 academy team and what happens after that. They go back to playing club! I think that is such bull. And no, I do not have any kids on either club.

I agree with that. If US soccer wants a steady player development program for elite players (and how can you even identify an elite player at 12 yrs. old) why is a player in the program at 12, 13, or 14, then out of the program and back to playing club soccer.

CSA also has a problem after u14 academy because they will have kids wanting to be on their u16 academy team. They have Bergen u14 and Monmouth u14 and only one u16 team in Monmouth. No room for everyone.

my son was at NJSA and NJCSA for years. in reading this blog, i see lots of understandable emotion, some fact and some hope. heres my take. 1)if your kid isn't good enough, then he won't be happy at an CSA...by that i mean, if he isn't the top 2-3 kids at age u14, you can pretty much guarantee he'll be cut when it really matters. 2)Until U16, it doesn't matter if you're playing Academy (unless you are enjoying it and developing). but if you're goal is College, or better, then you want to be in a RESPECTED academy at U16 to increase your chances of gaining a college coaches attention... thus at U16, players come out of the woodwork and make it very difficult/competitive to continue in the system. At that point, many things play a role in team selection...certainly POLITICS...but also, there are simply higher level players making the switch to Academy soccer and its more competitive. Bottom line...if your truly a quality player, you're likely to make the team. If you've been a nice player, but not an exceptional player (and you aren't on Altirs list), you won't make the team. So my advice, if you don't fall into any of the above criteria at younger ages, don't hold your breath and think CSA will be looking out for its loyal players who put up with years of BS and reward you with a spot on the Academy team. Not gonna happen. I also agree wth the posters noting that Altirs and CSA track record actually isn't very rewarding. I also think its important to note that several EDP teams place more kids in Colleges than NJCSA and CSA. There are many paths to succeed in this game. But first know what SUCCESS means to your player, then be realistic about the possibility of achieving it, and then choose the path with the end game in mind. If you're kid isn't gonna be a professional player, I think its very important to spend time enjoying the game and the experience. Time flies by and we should make sure that even Elite players enjoy the experience. Going pro?...OK sacrifice and more misery is acceptable price to pay for the "dream"... but be realistic...if you're kid isn't standing out on 90 percent of the high level competetions he's in, that likely wont change and maybe the Academy stress/lifestyle isn't for you...at ANY ACADEMY. As far as all the new facilities go...sure thats impressive.. but remember that Altirs is a business man...he isn't dong this entirely for love of the game...hes doing it to build a facility that professional teams come use as training grounds...for the USMNT to come and use as a training facility.. how does this get funded? by tons of well-meaning, hopeful parents paying tuition. Sure maybe a few kids will benefit as players...but don't think thats the goal.

Haven't been on here for a while. I can say that NJCSA is heading in the right direction - their new facilities and the hiring of their U18 coach are indications. I agree though with the comments above about one particular NJCSA left-over coach. The implications that he may be receiving "favors" from certain players should be investigated. He certainly seems to have blind allegiance to certain players - and has, at least in the case of one player, pulled the wool over the eyes of the coach of a major college program. But that will become apparent later and will cost the coach and NJCSA all credibility with a coach in a major conference.

The coach in question does personal training of players for side money. Obviously those players are given special treatment, that shouldn't be surprising. Now for the new U18 coach, he's done it for years. While he was in Florida he was brought up to do training for $$$. Now the guy who arranged the trainings and his friends are on the U16 team. You don't think the favoritism isn't going to happen going to happen. Just be aware of the situation so you aren't upset when the favoritism continues.

NJCSA is broken and nothing has changed. Fields can't fix the problems of favoritism.

GA needs to be careful down at NJCSA. He is investing a lot of money and it can go badly very quickly. It was a huge mistake naming TR's loyal foot soldier as director of coaching. All of the bloggers above are absolutely correct. There is something not right - favoritism is one thing but there is something else going on. I doubt the new U18 coach will stay past this year if he needs to work for the U16 coach.

Adding a "C" to the name dosen't change anything. They reward no development and parking the bus by making him doc. Then you have a parents running the tryouts from behind the scenes. Nothing has changed. New fields doesn't change anything.

Once again old people who are disgruntled. I will continue to look forward and not backwards. First scrimmage on Saturday for the 14's - let the excitement begin. Best of luck to all the folks enjoying soccer and looking to a very bright future.

No thanks, I will form my own opinion and watch the development of my sons in these formative exciting times. Fortunately I know what I need to know and am 100% correct. You enjoy your bashing and sorry that your kin did not shine for ya. Good luck

LOL! 100% correct? You know there are no guarantees in football. It may work out but it may all end in tears. I also thought things were great until my 12 yr. olds dreams were completely crushed in a very cruel way. Enjoy your journey!

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